The Caust of Freedom
by MAGO5
Summary: So similar, yet so different. The acidic hero Mina Ashido finds herself in a nightmarish reflection of her world, hunted by a government ruled by fear. She's not alone, though, for where there is injustice, there will always be heroes! My Hero Academia/X-men crossover.
1. The Big Apple

The first thing Mina Ashido did when she jerked awake was gasp for breath, a reflexive action she couldn't have regretted more. The foul, unpleasant taste of gritty asphalt and motor oil coated the inside of her mouth, causing her to cough and spit. A fuzzy blur of sound and light slowly came to her. She could hear the thrum of several different motors fading in and out. She could feel the harsh, artificial light from flickering street lamps warm her flamingo pink skin. She tried to push the filthy ground away from her, but the cold, rugged surface remained. A flash of panic. She couldn't move. She tried harder, and a weighty, protesting limb responded, sliding across the black roughness, disturbing tar-speckled pebbles and dust-smeared bits of trash. Mina demanded that the rest of her body follow in suit, and surely, her aching muscles did their best to comply. It wasn't a herculean effort, more akin to struggling out of the confines of her bed in in the small hours of the morning, except the antagonist was not the alluring softness of her plush mattress, but the nigh-indomitable fatigue that pierced her very bones. Mina forced air in and out of her lungs, preparing to strike another blow at gravity. With a grunt, she finally put herself on her feet.

Mina paused to regain her balance, swaying dangerously, cradling her swimming head in one hand. She felt the familiar material of her white mask brushing her fingers. She was in costume. Why was she in costume?

" _What happened?"_ she asked herself, for all the good it would do. Her vision finally came into focus as the earth beneath her stopped undulating. She could see cars, headlights, buildings, streets, sidewalks... but not much else. It was dark. Cold, too, she noted as a sharp breeze made her shiver in her non-insulated costume. She looked up. The sky was cloudy, but she could see a faint dotting of some stars and the eerie glow of a partially-obscured crescent moon.

Mina's attention returned to eye level. These buildings... she didn't recognize these buildings. They were big, stout, brick-and-mortar constructs, nothing like the neat and trim buildings of Japan. Taking care to maintain her balance, she began to put one shoe in front of the other, advancing aimlessly. The fog of confusion still swirled in her mind as the irregularities built up around her. Where was she? What happened?

A fleeting memory shot through her consciousness. Fighting, bright flashes, the rush of wind, a cry of anger, a sinister, black mist.

" _You know what they say about cornered animals," he muttered weakly as a syringe appeared in his inky palm._

The realization hit her quite forcefully, jarring her body out of its groggy state. Mina began spinning in place, breathing heavily. There was a battle. Villains came to destroy them. The teachers, her classmates...

"Midoriya...!" she sputtered, but the curly-haired hero-in-training was nowhere to be found. None of her friends were. They were gone. They were hurt! They were captured! They were-!

Mina stopped her erratic movements and forced herself to calm down.

" _Remember your training! Gotta keep a cool head..."_

She paced backwards and leaned against a wall. Her breathing returned to normal, though it would take time for her heart to stop pounding. Some remnant of the adrenaline from the battle still coursed through her system. She can feel the cooling sweat beading on her forehead and cheeks. Mina glanced down at her flamboyant hero costume, frowning as she saw it was slightly damp and dirty from her ill-placed nap. She swiftly brushed off some clinging debris.

Mina figured that she wasn't in the thick of battle anymore. She also figured that she was, in fact, _quite_ far away from the fighting that took place. That logical deduction, though, did nothing to stifle the awful feeling of helplessness that was welling up inside her. Her next move should be to figure out where exactly she was and how to get back to her friends. She didn't know how long she was out cold, but she surmised that the battle was probably long over. She just hoped that the heroes came out victorious in her stead.

She began scanning her surroundings in earnest. It was a dreary scene, if she was being honest. She could spy some crumbling curbs and broken windows from where she was leaning. She elected to travel down the sidewalk in search of a more favorable view. The chill of the night was really starting to get to her. She started to wonder if she should rethink her hero costume. The fluffy scarf did well enough to keep her neck warm, but her arms and belly were freezing! She hugged herself and shivered, becoming ever more aware of the fog of her breath. She really needed to find out where she was. She needed...

A person! She finally found another soul, walking in the same direction she was going. He was alone, wearing a featureless hooded jacket, hands firmly in his pockets. Mina picked up the pace.

"[Excuse me. Excuse me!]" she shouted. There was no response. She got a little closer. "[Uh, hey! Mister?!]"

The man cocked his head, brought his hands to his head, removed his ear buds, and turned towards Mina. "Um, hi?"

She could barely make his face out under the hood, but he appeared to have big glasses, a brown goatee, and very anglo features. Strange...

"[Sorry, can you tell me where I am? I was fighting some villains and I need to get back!]"

"Uh..." he stuttered. "I don't speak Japanese..."

Mina blinked. Was he speaking English? Was... was she not in Japan anymore?

The stranger leaned towards Mina, adjusting his glasses. Suddenly, he recoiled.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed as he turned and ran. "Oh God!"

Mina stood and watched as the man disappeared into the night. What was that about? Was it something she said? Was it her clothes? Did she look like a villain?

"[How rude!]" she huffed to herself. "[My costume is super cute! It doesn't look villainous at all!]"

Still, the situation seems to have gotten more complicated. She was fairly certain she wasn't in Japan anymore, she was in some English-speaking country. Mina ran her fingers through her pink, curly hair in despair.

Her English was _terrible._

Despite that, though, she continued forward, partly because the cold compelled her to move her body, partly because she wasn't terribly fond of the way these run-down buildings looked. It was eerie how quite these street were, only one person and a dozen passing cars since she woke up. After a few minutes of walking, though, she gradually began to encounter more signs of life. Apartment buildings gave way to well-lit shops, cars hummed along in the street, and people passed by in their jackets and scarfs. She still didn't have much better of an idea of where she was, though. She looked up, scanning beyond the buildings and rooftops for any hint, any clue. In the glow of the pale moonlight and the city lights, she could just make out, in the distance, a particularly tall skyscraper, lit up with a cascade of blue light.

Mina's eyes widened. She recognized that building in pictures and movies. It was unmistakable. It was the Empire State Building.

She was in _New York City!_

The student hero could hardly contain herself. The revelation warmed her right up. She was in America! More importantly, she was in the awesomest city in the world! She'd always wanted to come here! Mina grinned a toothy, ear-to-ear grin and began bouncing in place, completely forgetting the gravity of the situation. She started walking again, but at a much faster pace. She wanted to see the tall buildings, the park, the harbor, the station, the amusement park especially! And the food! Big, New York pizza! Oh, and the American heroes!

Mina was practically racing through the streets now, taking in the sights and sounds. The dreary and cold landscape suddenly became mystifying and exciting! She didn't even notice the looks of shock and confusion that she got from passerbyers. She had no idea where she was in the city or where she was heading, but that hardly mattered to the bubbly youngster. One thing did perplex her, though. She was seeing more and more people, but she has yet to see even one person whose outward appearance is different because of their quirk.

"Is... is that a mutant?" Mina heard a woman exclaim to her left as she briskly walked by. She couldn't understand what she had said, but her tone indicated distress. She would have thought nothing of it, but the trend continued, and a feeling of unease began to build up in her gut, snatching away her brief moment of joy.

"What is she?"

"A mutant?!"

"There's a mutant just walking around?"

"Someone better call the MRD."

"What the hell are my tax dollars good for? A mutant just passed by me!"

"Either she's a mutant or someone didn't tell her that Halloween was a week ago."

Very quickly, Mina became acutely aware of the animosity brewing around her, and she was pretty sure she was somehow the cause of it. It was a harrowing thing, being surrounded by people talking about her, but not understanding a word. There was one common word among the chatter: "mutant." What's a "mutant?" She obviously was impeding on some custom. She needed to know, one way or another. She summoned as much knowledge of English as she was capable of and approached a random person.

"He-roh?" she greeted a middle-aged man walking by himself, hands clutching the lapels of his jacket. "I nee-do... ah... direc-sha...?"

The man veered around Mina before she even finished. She blinked in indignation. She was pretty sure she only asked for directions. She tried again, this time approaching a young girl who looked about her age. She was walking with a female companion.

"Hi! I nee-do direc-sha..." Ah, she forgot to add the all-important politeness. "pu-rees?"

The girl seemed to be at a loss for a moment, staring at Mina with a look of... was that fear? "Uh, directions?"

Mina smiled and nodded vigorously. "Direc-sha-pree!"

"Directions to where?"

The smile fled. She had no idea.

"Um, ah," she wracked her brain trying to think of a place and the word she needed. The feeling of helplessness came back and threatened to overtake her. She felt like a lost child. She almost wanted to cry.

"They might help you at the train station, miss." the girl offered.

"Hai! Tu-rain! Tu-rain!" Mina blurted. The train station of a big city should have maps and travel information she could read. She could certainly work her way from there.

"The station should be-" she looked like she was about to point in a direction when, quite abruptly, her companion grabbed her arm.

"We can't help her! We need to call the police or something!"

"No we don't!" she shot back. "There's no law against giving her directions, I'm pretty sure."

"There probably is!"

"It would still be a human rights violation."

"She's obviously not even human! She's a mutant!"

There was that word again, "mutant." She still had no clue what it meant, but she was beginning to feel a little antagonized. The conversation also seemed to be drawing a little crowd.

"Just being technical." the second girl continued.

"It's still majorly not right, and you know it!" the girl stopped herself from raising her voice at the last second, possibly because she just became aware of the people around her stopping to stare. She quickly turned back to Mina and addressed her in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"Just head that way for about three blocks." she pointed behind her. "You can't miss it."

Mina bowed. "Sank-yu, sank-yu!"

Before either of them had a chance to go their separate ways, a siren cut through the air and a black and yellow armored van screeched to a halt beside them, lights flashing. The kind girl who helped her and her companion both pushed past Mina with little hesitation. Everyone around her scattered like birds as the van doors flung open and dispensed four men clad in body armor and helmets. The one that got out of the passenger door withdrew a baton from his belt, pressed a button to make it extend, and made a sweeping gesture around Mina.

"Clear the area!" he belted as his team began to surround the flamingo hero. A couple also withdrew their batons and one produced pair of thick handcuffs. She couldn't see any of their eyes through the reflective visors of their helmets.

"[Wait! What did I do?]" Mina exclaimed in Japanese, for all the good it would do. She couldn't be more confused as to what was going on. She backpedaled away from the encroaching officers, hands above her head. "[I wasn't doing anything wrong! M-maybe I was! I'm new here!]"

"She doesn't speak English." one remarked. "What a pain in the ass."

"Stay calm and come quietly." the lead officer-she could only presume-said, directly addressing her. He made a beckoning motion towards the armored vehicle.

Mina panicked. Her mind was practically boiling. What could she have possibly done to merit this? The tears which she had previously tried to keep down began to bead up around her black eyes. She didn't want to be arrested! She needed to think of something, anything!

"Ah, um!" she fumbled before unleashing the first thought that came to her mind. She put one hand on her hip and raised the other in a fist, mimicking the famous pose.

"Plus Ah-lu-trah!"

The officers paused for a moment to glance at one another. Mina frowned. She wasn't sure what kind of response All Might's famous catchphrase would elicit.

"Um..." she put her cupped hands to her head and gave a nervous smile. "M-micky mouse-uu?"

The lead officer pressed another button on his baton, making it crackle with blue energy and advancing at a faster pace, signalling to Mina that he's had enough of her charade.

"[Ah! No! Wait a minute!]" she yelped as she realized what she should have done in the first place. She fished around under her fuzzy scarf for the all-important identification card that will relieve her of this misunderstanding.

"[Hero license!]" she held the card in a outstretched hand. "[There's no for this, I have my hero license! I'm a hero from UA- eek!]"

The officer took a swipe at her midsection, forcing Mina to leap backwards and drop her hero license. He took another swing, which she also dodged, but it forced her against a wall. The officer then tried to tackle her, so she ducked and slipped past the cumbersome man. She twisted to avoid the thrumming batons of the two other men trying to detain her before finally getting clear and bolting down the street. The lead officer brought a radio to his head as his subordinates began the chase.

"All units! All units! We have a perp heading north on Rodgers! I repeat, perp is heading north on Rodgers! Subject is Asian female, pink with pink hair, black eyes, and yellow horns, wearing a purple and turquoise leotard!"

" _That's a helluva doozy!"_ the radio responded.

Mina raced down the sidewalk, weaving around fearful bystanders. She only needed to glance back to see that those belligerent thugs were hot on her trail, navigating through the throngs of people with much less grace. The station was forgotten, all that was on her mind was getting away. Once she was away, she could think clearly. The crowds were doing well to slow them down, but she could see that there were less and less people ahead. If she was gonna lose them, she needed to get as much distance between her and her pursuers as possible. Though her academic proficiency wasn't much to look at, she was no slacker when it came to running. She was certain that even if there weren't any bystanders so impede their path, she could still outrun men in full armor.

" _Unless one of them has a mobility quirk."_ she thought to herself.

A twin roar of engines caused Mina to turn her attention toward the street, where two motorcycles with armored officers zoomed in from an adjacent street and hopped onto the sidewalk to meet her.

" _Or that!"_

The motorcycles were lining up to box her in, and it would only be a fleeting moment before she'll have nowhere to run. Though it wouldn't sit well with her, Mina dashed away all pretense of remaining lawful where exhibiting her quirk was concerned. She needed speed, now! With a forceful hop, she sailed through the air and began secreting slime from her feet with just the right viscosity for maximum slickness. It came gushing from the holes in her specially-made shoes just as she landed on the pavement. It was a trick that made her just as good as the average mobility quirk user, perfected through months upon months of practice! She slid right past the lead bike just as he was about to perform his cut-off maneuver.

"What the-!?" he managed to blurt before he lost traction due to Mina's slime and tumbled face-first on her white-ish, green-ish trail.

"[Sorry!]" she called out as the second biker stopped to help his comrade. The first biker was mostly unharmed and managed to get to his feet after a couple times, but the entire front of his body was covered in her secretions.

"Puah! Disgusting!" he shouted as he spit some out. "That's the worst one yet!"

Mina continued to slide down the sidewalk, avoiding passerbyers as best she could while maintaining the constant production of slime. It was all she could do, since stopping at this speed was something she still needed work on. Even still, it looked like she managed to escape her pursuers. She was still burning with questions, though. The escalation of that encounter was way too severe, nothing like how the police handle things in Japan. She heard that American police take their jobs much more seriously, but whatever went on back there was just uncalled for! Not to mention she still didn't know why she was confronted in the first place! The sidewalk was getting too crowded, so she hopped down off the curb and took to street... only to be narrowly missed by an oncoming car.

"[Eeek! Sorry! So sorry!]" she turned into the farther lanes, remembering that one drives on the right side of the road in America.

It wasn't long, though, before a familiar siren reached her ears and filled her with dread. Looking behind her, she saw the two motorcycle officers sharing the one, undamaged bike, slowing closing the gap between her and them. Mina tried zig-zagging, covering the road with her slime to try and throw them off again, but they knew what to expect now and avoided it. She couldn't hope to outmaneuver them, her slime-skating didn't allow her to make sharp turns. She would try flinging slime from her hand right in front of them, but producing this much to maintain this speed was already taxing her. She was running out of options and they were almost within arm's length of her. She needed to think, fast! She needed to access her latent brain power and use the environment around her to devise a plan that will throw them off her trail in one fell swoop!

Yeah, like that'll happen.

Mina's eyes bulged as she felt her windpipe was suddenly restricted. The man in the second seat had grabbed her fuzzy collar and was holding on with an iron grip. Her stance became unsteady and her slime production was slowly petering off. She was losing control. Out of pure instinct, she stuck her arm out and reached for the nearest thing to grab to stabilize herself and caught a light post with her hand. A number of things happened all at once: a violent shift of momentum, a sharp pain shooting through her arm, and a loud and unpleasant rip. Her feet were off the ground and her grip on the light post slipped. She saw, for an instant, her chaotic trajectory was leading into the mouth of a dirty alleyway as she tumbled through the air. The feeling of weightlessness was lost, though, when she smacked against a gritty brick wall, followed by a crude landing in a pile of black garbage bags next to an overfilled dumpster.

Mina saw stars in her eyes as her body worked to determine where the sky and the ground were. She forced herself to breath through her mouth to avoid taking in the foul medley of odors around her. She could still feel the pain in her arm, but she was pretty sure she hadn't dislocated her shoulder. The student hero slid off the pile of packaged filth and stumbled to her feet as fast as she was able. Adrenaline was still coursing through her, urging her to keep running away. She went deeper into the alleyway, gripping her injured arm. Looking down, she saw that the entire top half of her hero costume had been completely ripped off, leaving only her bra, a blue push-up with a white cloud pattern. Tears began running down her white mask in earnest now. She was cold, filthy, shirtless, alone in a strange place and hounded by violent men for no discernable reason. How? How did this happen? Why her? What did she do?

Mina could see her pursuers enter the alleyway from the corner of her eye, prompting her to run deeper into the dark maze. She made a left, a right, then...

Straight into a dead end. All that running, dodging, and pain and she had nothing to show for it except a towering wall with no escape.

"She went over here!" one of the officers yelled as they both rounded the corner. Mina turned to face them, still clutching her arm. They stood side-by-side, denying any attempt to slip past. One of them was still covered in Mina's slime and he had also discarded his helmet-probably cracked the visor when he fell-and she could see his face clearly. He was a gruff, older man with a shaven head and a visible stubble on his chin. He was breathing heavily and his piggish eyes burned with anger.

"Coulda just... come quietly, girly..." he said between breaths as he unsheathed his powered baton, already humming with energy. His partner did the same. "Now you're gonna be lucky if there's anything left of ya... to throw in a cage..."

"Wait... stop..." Mina croaked in the best English she ever mustered, but the slowly advancing officers weren't even phased. She grit her teeth and raised her one good arm.

"[STOP!]" she screamed as she swiped her hand and threw her most potent acid to splash at their feet. The two leapt backwards as soon as they saw the caustic vapors rise from the asphalt.

"Jesus Christ!" one exclaimed. Mina curled her fingers and squirted a couple jets of acid towards them, missing intentionally. She met the gaze of the helmetless man with a furious glare of her own, but in reality, she was trembling so hard she could barely stand up straight. Her quirk was too lethal to be used on people. Her heart leapt into her throat just imagining someone getting hit with her acid, yet she hoped she could scare them enough to make them flee.

"Away!" she yelped, her voice cracking and betraying her resolve.

"She's too dangerous," the helmetless officer dropped his baton, pulled out his gun, and took aim. "I'm taking her down!"

With no time to think and no strength to dodge, Mina cried out and attempted to shield herself with her arms, waiting for the inevitable thundercrack.

"Guten Abend, officers." a mysterious voice said above the din of imminent violence. "Vhat seems to be zhe problem?"

All three turned to the source of the voice: a lithe man in a tan trench coat and fedora, perched expertly on the thin, metal rail of the fire escape. One could just make out a pair of yellow eyes underneath the brim of that hat.

"It's _him!_ " said the gun-wielding officer as he changed his aim from Mina to the newcomer. It was for naught, though, for as soon as he moved, the mysterious man _vanished_ in a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared, mid-air, between the two men. With a twist of his body too fast to read, he split-kicked both of them in the head and landed silently on all fours as the unconscious bodies of his foes hit the ground with a thud.

"I guess my reputation precedes me." he mused to himself as he stood up and turned to Mina. "Are you alright?"

Mina was still too shocked from the attempt on her life to interpret what the man had said. She curled her hand and readied another acid spray.

"Woah, easy!" he said, raising his hands. Mina noticed he only had two fingers and one thumb on each hand. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Believe me, I vhould rahser keep my skin un-melted."

She forced herself to calm down, even though her heart was pounding like a drum. This man with the strange accent saved her from those officers and he seems to mean her no harm. He stepped a little closer.

"You are different from everyvhone else. You look different and you have powers..." the stranger removed his hat, revealing a crop of raven-black hair, dark blue skin, and pointed ears. "Vhe are similar, you and I, ja?"

Mina finally lowered her arm. This may very well be the first quirk-user she's encountered; a teleportation-type and one with an altered appearance. Though, if she was being honest, he looked rather villainous.

"Please, vhat is your name?"

"Mmm..." Mina mumbled, attempting to find her voice again. "I don't-oh... speak Eng-a-lish."

"Oh," he replied, clearly stumped. "Uh, well..."

A distant siren wailed, catching the attention of the blue quirk-user.

"No good. Ve better get going."

A couple smoke clouds later and the stranger was suddenly standing right next to Mina, causing her to start.

"Hold on," said as he put his arm around her.

The bricks walls and dumpsters of her surrounding were abruptly removed from her vision and replaced with large AC units and a cloudy night sky. Mina shook her head, thinking that it was some sort of illusion clouding her vision. Then, a series of indescribable sensations hit her brain, then her gut, then... oh God...

"*huurrrkg!*"

"Oh, apologies, miss." the man said. The concrete rooftop ledge she emptied the contents of her stomach upon began to melt like a candle, so he sensibly put a little distance between him and it. "The teleportation can be a little... nauseating for some."

"Ooohrahh..." was all she could offer in return. She felt light-headed, like a balloon that's let out all its air, leaving a wrinkly, rubber husk. She gave a dry heave and then spit the last of her bile out, clutching her bare stomach and rocking in place until the awful feeling went away. For a good twenty seconds, there was something akin to silence, save the ambient noise of the busy city and the hissing of dissolving stone in front of her. The stranger also said nothing. It was almost cathartic. Then, she broke the silence with the only burning question she had.

"...Why?"

The stranger knew what she meant. "Because you are a mutant."

" _I... am a 'mutant'?"_ she echoed in her head, interpreting what he had said. Was her kind, the kind with a different outward appearance, hated here? Or, perhaps, all people with quirks? That was absurd. Even Mina knew that the majority of people in the world had quirks. It just wasn't feasible...

The blue-skinned man draped his coat around Mina, surprising her. She turned to look at him closely for the first time. The man was older than her, but not by much, perhaps in his twenties. He was indeed lithe, with a body built like a gymnast. She was surprised to see that he also had a long, spade-tipped tail and clawed feet with three toes on each foot: two in the front, one in the back. Such physique must really lend to his agility, Mina noted. Though, the most important detail was the red and black, form-fitting suit he was wearing under his trench coat. A black and yellow "X" in a circle was emblazoned on the center of his chest.

"You looked cold." he stated with a smile.

"Are yuu... hiiro?" Mina asked suddenly. The stranger seemed to be caught off-guard by the question.

"Am I a hero?" he chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you can call me zhat."

The pink hero grinned warmly and stood straight up, adjusting the coat around her body. She just met her first American hero.

"I'm Kurt." he said as he held out his hand. Mina thought for a moment, pondering on how to respond in kind. She grabbed his hand.

"Mina!" she figure she would use her personal name, rather than her full name, since Kurt did the same. It only took one shake, though, to remind her that her right arm was still sprained. She winched and reflexively grabbed it.

"Sorry, Mina. Zhat's a vonderful name."

She bowed very suddenly. "Sank-yuu, Kurt-sama!"

"Please, it vhas nothing." he assured. "Vhe have to get you somewhere safe, though. Get zhat arm looked at. Zhe MRD vhill also come looking soon."

He gently grabbed Mina's uninjured arm. "Come, follow me."

The despair built up from earlier practically evaporated the moment he took her hand and walked with her across the roof. He was a genuine hero. She knew she could trust him to lead her to a place away from this madness, as long as he didn't use his teleportation quirk again.

"Vhe'll have to navigate the rooftops to get out of zhe city without being seen." he gave Mina a sheepish smile. "No vhorry, the first teleport is alvheys zhe vurst."

She wasn't sure what he said, exactly, but that look told her everything. Mina groaned.

* * *

About an hour and a handful of near-spews later, the buildings ended and a quiet forest began. It was serene compared to the noisy density of the city. Mina felt relaxed when she breathed in the smell of fresh air. Her sprained arm still throbbed, but by now she was used to the pain. It was no worse than the feeling after an intense day of quirk training.

"It shouldn't be long now." Kurt remark. Mina still didn't understand what he was saying. It frustrated her immensely, but she could probably work it out slowly if she needed to. The two traveled through the forest for another half an hour. There were no reference points to speak of, but her savior knew the way. She was immensely grateful for the coat he had lent her as the air only got colder as the night went on.

Even though she had been out of danger for a while now, Mina was still reeling from the roller coaster of events that transpired. At this point, the confusion was secondary. She felt... a distant heat of anger, mixed with fear. The fear came from the implications of such a police force, one that has no compunction of using force on innocent people. There must have been others like her, but ones who weren't so lucky to get away. How long has this been going on? How can the Hero Association of America let this happen? America was the birthplace of heroes, a symbol of righteousness and freedom. Is there no one to stand up to this injustice?

Then, there was the anger. It smoldered in the pit of her stomach. Mina wasn't used to such a feeling. Even in the heat of battle with dangerous villains, knowing that such ne'er-do-wells have little regard for honor and human life, she never _hated_ them. Heroes just need to beat the bad guy and protect people, the latter being the more important of the two. That what All Might would do, and Mina strove to be a great hero like him ever since she was little. But she couldn't get rid of this feeling she had when she thought of those black-clad officers. They didn't confront her like an officer of the law would confront a criminal or a villain. No, they seemed to think of her like some sort of _animal._

"Here vhe are." Kurt announced.

The trees parted to reveal a rolling stretch of well-kept lawn, leading to a gated property. Beyond that was an archaic-looking estate, unlit save for the dim lanterns that dotted the driveway. It appeared rather dainty to Mina. She was expecting a rebel camp or underground base, given that the only interaction with authority was open hostility to both her and Kurt. Though, as she thought about it more, she likened up to idea of being in a nice room with a big, comfy bed. Yeah, a bed...

"Ack! I forgot to call it in," the blue mutant admonished himself. He withdrew a small device from under the collar of his suit. "Just give me vhone moment, Mina... Mina?"

He turned around to find that his ward had quietly fallen face-first onto the soft lawn. She snored softly.

"Oh."


	2. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters

Mina awoke, again, in a different place from where she fell unconscious, but instead of sucking on cold, wet asphalt, she merely fluttered her eyes open to a blinding light. Her vision came into focus, giving way to the shape of tall windows funneling in the warm, morning light. She could hear bird chirping outside. It was almost too serene. She tried to move, but her limbs weren't quite ready to listen. They were captivated by the softness of the bed she was lying in, covers draped over her up to her neck. It was such a nice bed, much nicer than the one she had in her dorm.

The thought of home brought her a degree of lucidness. Mina wriggled out of the Mina-shaped crater in the soft mattress, pushed the covers out of the way, and sat up. Her damaged hero costume was gone, replaced with a simple linen nightgown. She felt a little dainty, having never worn a nightgown before, and she certainly appreciated the gesture, but she felt a little anxious knowing that the remains of her costume were taken from her.

Mina gauged her new surroundings. It wasn't a very large room, and it was filled with old-fashioned wooden furniture. A table and some chairs occupied one corner. Framed, abstract paintings hung on the plain, white walls. Dressers, nightstands, and even a second bed, which was currently unmade and had a couple large books and a laptop strewn upon it, which told Mina that there was another occupant in this room. There were some modern amenities as well, like the sizable television placed opposite to the bed. It had a game console neatly placed on the shelf underneath. Mina breathed a sigh of relief when she sighted her acid-proof boots sitting next to a dresser near her bed, though her leotard was nowhere to be seen. She supposed it wouldn't have been of any use torn up, anyway, and the boots were the more important part of the costume, after all.

There was a clack as the door swung open. Mina turned her head just as a dark-skinned woman with long, white hair walked in. She was dressed very casually in a loose white shirt and a flowing dark skirt. The woman looked at Mina and smiled, then stepped away from the door as another person entered. Silently rolling on silver wheels, a bald-headed man in a wheelchair came into view. He looked to be in his forties or fifties. He wore a tan suit, red tie, and had a green blanket resting on his lap. Mina said nothing as the two briefly exchanged words, which was strange, because she would usually waste no time confronting people in situations like this, but for some reason, she could not find the urgency within herself. She just felt... really relaxed for some reason.

"We'll walk out together. You should get to your class, Ororo." the bald man said to the woman.

"Alright. I'll look forward to meeting her later." she replied and exited the room, closing the door behind her. The man then maneuvered his wheelchair towards the bedside.

" _I trust you slept well?"_

"[Yeah, actually. I feel really good!]" Mina blinked. "[Wait, you can speak Japanese?]"

" _No, I'm just communicating directly with the language centers of your brain,"_ he replied. _"And you can thank me for your restful sleep. You had a pretty rough night, from what I've heard, so I stabilized your sleep cycles."_

Mina then noticed that the man's mouth wasn't moving at all as he "spoke." She gasped.

"[You're a telepath?!]"

The outburst seemed to catch the man off-guard as he raised an eyebrow.

" _Have you... encountered telepaths before?"_

"[Well, no, but I've heard about them. It's a super-rare quirk.]" Mina suddenly reeled and shielded her forehead with her hands. "[P-please don't look for any secret dirty stuff in my head!]"

The man gave a bemused smile. _"I'm not interested in reading your mind for secrets, so don't worry._

" _My name is Professor Charles Xavier,"_ he continued. _"But you can call me Professor X. I run this school for gifted youngsters, like yourself."_

"[School? I was brought to a school?]"

" _Indeed, this is one of our dorms."_ he gave a small sweep of the hand. Mina looked around the room once more.

"[It looks way too fancy to be a dorm...]"

Xavier chuckled. _"Well, you could say it's a fancy school, too,"_ he leaned forward. _"So tell me, Mina, that is your name, correct?"_

She nodded. "[Yes, my name is Ashido Mina.]"

" _Ashido Mina?"_ he repeated. _"Ah, yes, the family name comes first. Tell me, Miss Ashido, you referred to my mutant ability as a 'quirk.' Why is that?"_

She took a moment to adjust her sitting position, unsure how to respond to his strange question.

"[That's just...]" she began. "[That's just what they're called, aren't they? They're your special powers, your 'individuality.' Do you call it something different in America?]"

" _Perhaps,"_ Xavier mentally projected as he furrowed his brow. _"But I suspect an... incongruence._

" _Now, I have no reason to suspect you of lying, Miss Ashido,"_ he clarified. _"But there were a lot of questions that came with your appearance. Where are you from, exactly?"_

"[Well, right now I'm living in a dorm in Musutafu, Japan because I'm going to U.A. High School, number one hero school in the whole world!]" she grinned broadly, obviously proud of the fact. "[We were all put in dorms because of the villain attacks and the school wants to keep us safe, but that's alright because the dorms are pretty nice! Not as nice as this, though. Is this a hero school, too?]"

The Professor didn't answer immediately, instead he rested his chin on his hand and pondered.

" _I'm afraid to say that I don't know of any school that goes by that name."_

"[What? You gotta know U.A.! It the school All Might went to! He's the Number One Hero!]"

" _Who?"_

Mina scoffed. How could anyone in the whole world not know who All Might is?

"[You know, All Might! Plus Ultra! Texas Sumashhu!]" she made a punching motion. She saw no change of expression on Xavier's face. "[Um... How about Number Two Hero: Endeavor! Big fiery man! Really serious all the time!]" Still nothing. "[Best Jeanist? Thirteen? Ingenium? Captain Celebrity?]"

He slowly shook his head. He was sincerely unaware of any of those names, including Captain Celebrity, who was originally based in America. Mina was stunned, so much so that she began to sweat. Something was wrong. Seriously, incredibly wrong. She threw off the covers and sidled out of bed. Her bare feet touched the carpet and she began to pace with aimless urgency.

"[What happened?]" she asked no one in particular as she ran her fingers through her curly hair. "[What happened?! Where did he send me?!]"

" _Please, Mina, calm down."_ The Professor urged as he wheeled closer to the distressed teenager. _"Believe me, I'm just as confused as you are. If you can calm down and tell me what happened and how you ended up here, I could probably help."_

Mina stopped her pacing. She was still uneasy, but the telepath's gaze was affixed to hers, patient and compassionate. She sighed, knowing that she'd be betraying his hospitality if she went off the rails like that.

"[I'm sorry. We-me and my classmates-we were attacked by villains again. We were doing pretty well, though, but this guy with a portal quirk, he must have injected himself with a quirk-enhancing drug. After that...]" she hesitated. The memories seemed to be really hazy from that point onward. "[I don't know. He must have flung me here with his portals.]"

" _I think I'm getting a clearer picture, but I can't be absolutely certain yet."_ Xavier sighed and adjusted his blanket. _"I've borne witness to countless strange occurrences in my line of work, but it is never prudent to jump to conclusions."_

"[What do you mean?]"

" _I can sense your urgency, Miss Ashido. You want to get back to your school and you fellow classmates, but getting you home won't be as simple as putting you on a plane."_ he wheeled around and returned to his original position. _"This may even have greater implications. I think I have to contact an acquaintance of mine..."_

"[Who?]" Mina inquired as she sat on the foot of the bed.

Xavier turned and smiled. _"You probably wouldn't know of him. He used to be a medical doctor, but now he goes by a somewhat different title, and contacting him is going to be no easy task. Rest assured, though, you'll be in good hands. In the meantime-"_ he stopped in mid-sentence and glanced at the door. _"Ah, could you please get the door, Miss Ashido?"_

Mina nodded and slipped past the professor to reach the door. She turned the handle and opened it just as the familiar person on the other side was about to knock.

"Ack! Mina!" Kurt exclaimed as he lowered his arm. He was wearing very different clothes from when last she saw him. Instead of what she assumed was his hero suit, he was wearing jeans and a pullover hoodie with the hood up. He still wasn't wearing any shoes, though. Mina grinned ear to ear upon seeing last night's savior.

"Kurt-sama!"

"I see you've gotten some sleep. May I come in?" As soon as the words left his mouth, though, he frowned, remembering that she couldn't understand him.

"It's alright, Mister Wagner." the professor spoke aloud to Kurt from behind Mina. "I've created a mental link. Try it out."

"Guten tag, professor." he furrowed his brow and concentrated. _"Can you hear me, Mina.?"_

"[I can totally understand you, now!]" she said with glee and turned to Xavier. "[Your quirk is the best!]"

" _It certainly comes in handy."_ he projected. _"However, I won't be around all the time to translate for you. You'll have to pick up on some English while you're here."_

Mina groaned, once more, at the idea of having to learn English.

" _It's not so bad."_ Kurt projected, seeing Mina's chagrin. _"I'm from Germany, so I'm not a native English speaker myself. You just have to remember the exceptions... and the exceptions to those exceptions."_

Mina groaned even more audibly and began to deflate. The professor unsuccessfully stifled a chuckle.

" _I think a change of scenery is in order."_ he offered. _"Perhaps a tour. Miss Ashido, there are sets of old school uniforms in that drawer over there. See if you can find one that fits you."_

* * *

One relatively quick change in the dorm bathroom later, and Mina, Kurt, and Professor Xavier were catching some fresh air in the school courtyard. It seemed to be between periods and there were a fair number of other teenagers milling about. She, once again, noticed a distinct lack of people with appearance-altering quirks. There appeared to be some: tiny horns, a few scales on the neck, pointed ears... but none as dramatic as Kurn or herself. A fish-out-of-water sort of feeling began to fill Mina with trepidation, and to add to that, she seemed to be the only one wearing a fancy, tan, English school uniform! Everyone else was wearing street clothes!

" _To answer your question,"_ Xavier suddenly projected. _"We've relaxed the dress code since the founding of this school. The students seem to be much more content that way, and it has the added benefit of not having to replace as many uniforms when they're scorched, frozen, punctured or, erm, melted."_

Mina winced. She knew that she went through more than a few uniforms before UA decided to give her an acid-proof one.

" _I don't know if we have the resources to produce acid-proof uniforms, I'm afraid."_

Mina suddenly cupped her forehead again and fumed. "[I didn't say anything!]"

" _Oh? My apologies. You just have... very loud thoughts."_

Kurt, who was still within "earshot" of their telepathic conversation, gave a stifled chuckle, much to Mina's chagrin.

" _Don't worry, fraulein, you're far from the only one with zhat problem."_

"[What did you call me?]"

" _Er..."_ Kurt stumbled. _"It's just a German word that means 'young woman.'"_

" _Young_ _ **unmarried**_ _woman."_ The professor added with a not-so-innocent smile. Mina's face turned a darker shade of pink.

" _It's not anysing disrespectful, it's just how we addressed young women in Germany!"_ he mentally projected, looking a little flustered. _"It doesn't imply anysink, either."_

" _I'm just trying to lighten the mood, is all."_ his smile faded somewhat. _"Like you, Miss Ashido, a lot of our students here don't arrive under the best circumstances. A great deal of them have nowhere else to go."_

Mina looked at the other students. They seemed to resemble and act like normal school students, but what the professor said about them made her feel a bit... off. She started to notice that a fair number of them seemed _reserved_ in their body language; their faces seemed to carry the look of someone much older than they appeared. Of course, there were a fair share of dour people in UA, but she could just begin to feel the ghost of a hint of an aura of... great sadness. While her eyes wandered, one of the members of a conversing group happened to glance in Mina's direction. The student's eyes widened, and the other students followed in suit, turning their attention to what had caught their fellow classmate's attention. Soon, Mina felt the weight of many pairs of muttering eyes on her, a feeling she was, until yesterday, rather unfamiliar with. It was plain to see why she would attract so much attention in this environment, even among other people with quirks. Besides Kurt, she was the only person who _really_ stood out. She tried to ignore them and turned back to the Professor.

"[Why don't they have anywhere to go?]"

Xavier's face turned solemn. _"Many of them have been disowned or abandoned. Some of them were being hunted by the MRD when we found them."_

A chill ran down Mina's spine. Disowned? Abandoned? Hunted? Just what kind of place was this?! There was hardly anyone around who looked older than a teenager, and some were even younger than that. It was known in Japan and most of the world over that young people with quirks weren't that much of a danger to anyone because they hadn't developed their quirks to their full potential, but here...

" _I thought you said you vher going to lighten the mood, Professor."_ Kurt projected, interrupting Mina's thoughts. Xavier drew a long sigh.

" _Yes. Again, I apologise. I'm afraid I have a very many things on my mind right now, not the least of which is what to do with our impromptu... 'foreign exchange program,' let's call it."_ he said as he put his hand to his chin. _"I dare say, I don't have any material or accomodations ready, and we only have basic English classes at the moment..."_

"[I don't want to be a burden, Professor.]" Mina returned, feeling a little overwhelmed by the old man's hospitality. "[I already know a little English, it's just... not very good.]"

Xavier smiled broadly. _"We'll certainly make it work, Miss Ashido. It's a challenge we can overcome."_ He gestured to Kurt. _"Mister Wagner will be here on the campus if you need anything. He is our Drama teacher."_

Mina's black eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "[Drama teacher?!]"

" _Surprising, ja?"_ he chuckled. _"I may not look like it, but I'm a lifelong performance artist. My class is only three days out of the week, plus after school. Perhaps you're interested?"_

"[Is there dancing?]" Mina asked, practically sparkling.

" _Ah, a dancer, are we?"_ he put a two-fingered hand to his chest. _"I vhas classically trained in dance with a Munich circus troupe. I sink you'll love vhat we have lined up for our Spring semester."_

She was vibrating with excitement now, much to Xavier's relief.

" _Miss Munroe is also willing to help you. She was the teacher whom you saw with me earlier. She's currently teaching English and Geography. She's very much looking forward to meeting you."_

" _Ah, um, Professor?"_ Kurt interjected.

" _Yes? Ah. I nearly forgot to tell you, Miss Ashido. Mister Wagner suggested a shopping trip into the city for some clothes and other items later this week. He told me that you're interested in seeing more of the city."_

"[I'd love to!]" she exclaimed, hopping in place.

" _Not right away, of course. Kurt and I have to make arrangements with Forge to do something about your... appearance. Not that there's anything wrong with it, but, well, you know how the public reacts to it."_

Mina's exuberence fled somewhat upon remembering the previous night and all the faces of contempt she was met with. She remembered the fear of those two girls that tried to help her. She remembered, just as a hint of pain returned to her sprained arm, the killing intent of that man in body armor. Quietly, that feeling in her gut started building up again. The anger. The lividness at such colossal injustice. All these things... they shouldn't _be._ These students, they have to hide themselves from the world. Why? Why does such a thing _exist?_ Who is responsible? A flash of dark thoughts crossed her and she tightened her fist. She had to do something. She had to-

" _Well then,"_ Xavier turned to Kurt one last time. _"I'm going to return to my office. I'll sever the mental link and you can show Miss Ashido around the rest of the campus. I'll work on enrolling her in some classes to keep her time occupied. Ororo should be class right now, go ahead and introduce her when it's over."_

" _Glad to, Professor."_ He turned his yellow-eyes to Mina and gestured to a door across the courtyard. "Right zhis way, Mina. I can show you zhe auditorium."

Kurt was actually speaking now, but she could make out the word "auditorium," and she had a pretty good idea what it meant. The smile returned on her acid-stained face.

She began bounding after Kurt, when a hand wrapped around her own. Startled, she whipped around to see Professor Xavier clutching her. His visage was stonelike and intense. He stared piercingly into her otherworldly eyes, causing Mina's heart to skip a beat.

" _Do not hate them."_

He said it sternly and with more conviction of authority than the young hero was prepared for.

"[What...?]"

" _Do not hate them, Mina,"_ he released her hand, but she was fixed in place. _"They do what they do out of fear and uncertainty. They commit grave injustices, but it is because they believe what they are doing is the right thing. They are mistaken, of course, but they are not monsters."_ His face softened into a sort of paternal affection.

" _You have a kind, strong heart, Mina, and a strong sense of justice. The people of the MRD, the politicians, and the common citizen doesn't see you the way I see you. They're scared. They're scared of the harm and imbalance that you and gifted people like you could potentially bring. We need to show the world that we're responsible and compassionate, and in time, truth and justice will prevail. For now, I just want you to understand."_

Mina had no words. She merely stared, blankly. Her feelings were all mixed up inside her. Weren't they just bad guys? Bad guys just needed to be defeated and put in jail, right? She started to feel a new emotion trickle in. Was it... shame? Was she wrong to despise the kind of man who would want to put her in a cage for no reason?

"Mina!" she heard Kurt yell across the courtyard. Mina turned to the deep blue mutant beckoning her. She started walking toward him, but then hesitated, and turn back to the Professor. He was still there, his aged expression the same. The teen snapped her heels together and bowed.

"[I... I'll try...]"

Without another word, she took her leave and chased after Kurt. Professor Xavier lingered for a silent moment. Then, with a mechanical whirr, he wheeled around his chair and headed back to his office.


End file.
